Pierce County sheriff’s deputies who fatally shot child rape suspect are identified
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has identified five deputies who shot at a child rape suspect killed last week after a high-speed chase near Eatonville.
Brandon Mark Stokes, 37, died of multiple gunshot wounds April 7.
Investigators say detective Jesse Hotz, 46, and deputies Theron Hardesty, 48, Darrell Tevis, 34, Jake Reed, 27, and Chad Chapman, 26, fired their department-issued weapons at Stokes.
Hotz and Hardesty have been with the department the longest, 19 and 20 years respectively.
Tevis is an 8-year veteran, Reed was hired three years ago and Chapman has been a deputy for two years.
All five were placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting.
Stokes was scheduled to meet with detectives that day for an interview in a suspected child rape case but didn’t show up.
Around the same time, several people called 911 to report a man armed with a shotgun who was “acting crazy” in a restaurant parking lot in the 3200 block of Mountain Highway East.
It was Stokes, who reportedly said, “This is my last day on Earth, I’m going to make them shoot me,” before driving off.
Hotz and the deputies responded to the scene but could not locate Stokes until about 5 p.m., when they found his vehicle on Mountain Highway East near 356th Street.
He sped away at 80 mph and allegedly tried to ram multiple patrol vehicles during a high-speed pursuit that ended at Alder Cutoff Road when Stokes crashed.
Stokes was shot shortly after the crash, but investigators have not released information about what prompted the shooting.
Stokes was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
No deputies were injured during the incident.
Tacoma police are investigating the officer-involved shooting.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 1:56 PM.
